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Women use scarves to shield themselves from the sun on a hot day in Hyderabad, India, May 2, 2024
SCORCHING heat across Asia and the Middle East in late April was made 45 times more likely in some parts of the continent because of human-caused climate change, a study said on Tuesday.
Sizzling temperatures were felt across swathes of Asia, from Gaza in the west — where over 2 million people face clean water shortages, lack of health care and other essentials amid the Israeli bombardment — to the Philippines in the south-east.
The study by the World Weather Attribution group of scientists said many parts of the continent experienced temperatures well above 40°C for several days in a row.
When it comes to extreme weather events, from wildfires to flash floods, it’s firefighters who are on the front line of defence, but services have been cut to the bone, and government is not taking seriously its responsibility for the environment, says STEVE WRIGHT
